Vehicular trailer having fluent material distribution means

ABSTRACT

A vehicular trailer is disclosed particularly adapted for distributing fluent material such as salt or sand or the like upon a roadway or other surface, wherein the slinger plate is rotatably driven by means of a pair of friction wheels disposed with their axes at right angles to each other. One of the wheels is adjustable axially with respect to the other of the wheels, whereby the rotational speed of the slinger plate may be substantially continuously adjusted regardless of the rotational speed of the driving means. The slinger plate is mounted upon a horizontally swingable arm so as to be swingable away from the discharge end of a screw conveyor, permitting access to the conveyor for cleaning or the like.

I llnlted States Patent [1 1 3,625,439

[72] Inventor l-larls Gisler 813,463 2/1906 Stinebring 74/197 X Bern, Switzerland 1,048,315 12/1912 Jenkins..... 74/197 [21] Appl. No. 889,076 2,942,487 6/1960 Claus..... 74/197 [22] Filed Dec. 30,1969 3,017,189 1/1962 Belt 239/673 [45] Patented Dec. 7,1971 2,886,334 5/1959 Presler 239/683 [73] Asslgnee Firma Boschung Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, r.

Rred, Schmltten, Canton, Fribourg,

Assistant Exammer-Edwln D. Grant Switzerland Attorney-Jacobi Davidson & Kleeman [32] Priority Jan. 14, 1969 [33] Switzerland 453/69 ABSTRACT: A vehicular trailer is disclosed particularly adapted for distributing fluent material such as salt or sand or the like upon a roadway or other surface, wherein the slinger [54] Q plate is rotatably driven by means of a pair of friction wheels 2 Cl l D disposed with their axes at right angles to each other. One of guns rawmg the wheels is adjustable axially with respect to the other of the [52] U.S. Cl 239/684 wheels, whereby the rotational speed of the slinger plate may [51] Int. Cl A01c 17/00 be substantially continuously adjusted regardless of the rota- [50] Field of Search 239/673, tional speed of the driving means. The slinger plate is mounted 681, 684, 687, 689, 683; 74/197 upon a horizontally swingable arm so as to be swingable away from the discharge end of a screw conveyor, permitting access [56] Ree'emes cued to the conveyor for cleaning or the like.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 731,404 6/1903 Gray 239/684 VEHICULAR TRAILER HAVING FLUENT MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION MEANS The present invention relates to a vehicular trailer having a spray or distributor means for fluent material including a driven slinger plate.

Spray mechanisms of this type must be able to be manufactured at a cost which can be afforded even by small communities. The part of the mechanism which to this date, among other things has stood in the way to decisively lower the cost of manufacturing such mechanisms, has been the drive means 'for the slinger plate. This drive means must not only permit the variation of the rotational speed of the slinger plate, but it must at the same time be constructed such that the channel for the feeding worm or screw conveyor is accessible from the rear of the device, such worm conveyor feeding the material to be sprayed, for example sand or salt, or both, to the slinger plate. These requirements have up to now been met only by resorting to expensive constructions, and accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a spray distributor mechanism of the type mentioned in which the set requirements are met in the simplest manner.

The vehicular trailer according to this invention is characterized in that the drive means for the slinger plate is constructed as a friction wheel drive with an axially movable friction wheel driving a friction disc connected to the slinger plate.

The invention itself will be better understood, and additional objects, features and advantages thereof will become apparent, from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying single FIGURE of drawing which shows schematically a preferred embodiment of the subject of the invention, viewed from the rear.

In the spray mechanism according to this invention, a receptacle or hopper 1 containing the fluent material to be sprayed is mounted on a single-axle undercarriage or frame 2, whereby the fluent materials, in a manner not further shown, reach the effective zone of operation of a feed worm conveyor. The rearward open end 3a of channel 3 of the feed worm conveyor can be seen from the drawing. By means of the action of the feed worm, the fluent material is fed to the rotary slinger plate 4 by which it is then thrown upon the surface area to be acted upon, due to the variable-speed drive of the slinger plate. The drive means of the slinger plate 4 is driven from axle 5 of the undercarriage by means of a chain drive 6 as well as a belt drive 7 upon the axially displaceable friction wheel 8 which cooperates with friction disc 9, the latter being operably connected through the agency of the substantially vertically extending shaft 14 to the slinger plate 4. Friction disc 9 and slinger plate 4 are together secured by means of shaft 14 in straddling fashion upon an arm 11 which is pivotable about a vertical axis 10 at one end thereof, with the free end Ila of said arm 11 being releasably connected to a longitudinal sup port means 12 of the undercarriage by any suitable latch means or the like. By virtue of the axial displacement of axle or shaft 8a of friction wheel 8, the drive speed of spray wheel 4 can be varied within certain limits and independently of the speed at which wheels 13 roll.

For the purpose of replacing or maintaining the feed worm conveyor, it is necessary that the rear outlet of the channel 3 of the feed worm be accessible. This accessibility now can be achieved in such a manner that the connection between undercarriage support I2 and the free end of arm II is released, and that arm 11 is rotated about axis 10. Due to the special arrangement of friction wheel drive 8, 9, the driving and the driven part, that is to say friction wheel 8 and friction wheel disc 9, respectively, can be separated from one another without further steps, so that with the exception of releasing the connection of arm 11 to support 12 of the undercarriage, no further steps must be taken in order to lay open the access to the channel 3 of the feed worm.

In this manner, it has been possible to provide an arrangement in the depicted example of the embodiment which permits, in the simplest manner, obtaining access to the channel of the feed worm without having to forego the variable speed drive of the slinger plate independently with respect to the speed of the driving wheel.

By providing a slinger or spray mechanism according to the present invention, it is evident that all of the objects set forth at the outset to this specification have been successfully fulfilled.

Accordingly, what is claimed is:

l. A vehicular trailer arrangement comprising an undercarriage, hopper means for fluent material supported by said undercarriage, means defining a feed conveyor disposed beneath said hopper means for receiving fluent material from said hopper means, said feed conveyor having a lengthwise axis and means defining a discharge opening for the fluent material, a distributor mechanism for the fluent material including a driven slinger plate disposed beneath said discharge opening of said feed conveyor for receiving fluent material therefrom, a substantially vertically extending shaft carrying said slinger plate at its lower end region and serving to drive said slinger plate at variably selectable driving speed, variable drive means for said slinger plate, said variable drive means including a friction wheel drive means comprising an axially displaceable friction wheel and a friction disc, said friction disc being supported at the upper end region of said vertically extending shaft carrying said slinger plate, said axially displaceable friction wheel being variably positionable with respect to said friction disc to selectively provide variable rotational speeds for said slinger plate, a pivotal support arm for supporting said shaft carrying said slinger plate at its lower end region and said friction disc at its upper end region, means for pivotably securing one end of said support arm to said undercarriage for movement of said support arm through a substantially horizontally disposed arcuate path, the other end of said support arm defining a free end, means for releasably connecting said free end of said support arm with said undercarriage, said support arm being movable between a first position, when said releasably connecting means are operable, wherein said friction disc and friction wheel are in driving operative connection with one another and said slinger plate is disposed immediately beneath said discharge opening of said feed conveyor for receiving fluent material therefrom, with said vertically extending shaft being located directly in front of said discharge opening of said feed conveyor with the lengthwise axis of said shaft extending substantially transversely with respect to the lengthwise axis of said feed conveyor, to maximize receipt of the discharged fluent material from said discharge opening of said feed conveyor upon said slinger plate, and a second position arcuately spaced from said first position, when said releasably connecting means are inoperable, wherein said vertically extending shaft is located remote from and laterally of said discharge opening of said feed conveyor to permit free access to said feed conveyor via said discharge opening and wherein said friction disc and friction wheel no longer are in driving operative connection with one another.

2. The vehicular trailer arrangement as defined in claim I, wherein said pivotal securing means for said support arm is mounted at said undercarriage laterally to one side of said discharge opening of said feed conveyor and said releasably connecting means for the free end of said support arm is located at said undercarriage at the opposite side of said discharge opening of said feed conveyor remote from said pivotal securing means for said support arm, to permit said support arm to swing through said substantially horizontally disposed arcuate path in a direction away from said undercarriage, said vertically extending shaft piercingly extending to both sides of said support arm, said slinger plate and said friction disc mounted at respective end regions of said vertically extending shaft straddling said support arm to each side thereof, said vertically extending shaft being disposed in a plane which is spaced from and forwardly of a plane containing said discharge opening of said feed conveyor. 

1. A vehicular trailer arrangement comprising an undercarriage, hopper means for fluent material supported by said undercarriage, means defining a feed conveyor disposed beneath said hopper means for receiving fluent material from said hopper means, said feed conveyor having a lengthwise axis and means defining a discharge opening for the fluent material, a distributor mechanism for the fluent material including a driven slinger plate disposed beneath said discharge opening of said feed conveyor for receiving fluent material therefrom, a substantially vertically extending shaft carrying said slinger plate at its lower end region and serving to drive said slinger plate at variably selectable driving speed, variable drive means for said slinger plate, said variable drive means including a friction wheel drive means comprising an axially displaceable friction wheel and a friction disc, said friction disc being supported at the upper end region of said vertically extending shaft carrying said slinger plate, said axially displaceable friction wheel being variably positionable with respect to said friction disc to selectively provide variable rotational speeds for said slinger plate, a pivotal support arm for supporting said shaft carrying said slinger plate at its lower end region and said friction disc at its upper end region, means for pivotably securing one end of said support arm to said undercarriage for movement of said support arm through a substantially horizontally disposed arcuate path, the other end of said support arm defining a free end, means for releasably connecting said free end of said support arm with said undercarriage, said support arm being movable between a first position, when said releasably connecting means are operable, wherein said friction disc and friction wheel are in driving operative connection with one another and said slinger plate is disposed immediately beneath said discharge opening of said feed conveyor for receiving fluent material therefrom, with said vertically extending shaft being located direCtly in front of said discharge opening of said feed conveyor with the lengthwise axis of said shaft extending substantially transversely with respect to the lengthwise axis of said feed conveyor, to maximize receipt of the discharged fluent material from said discharge opening of said feed conveyor upon said slinger plate, and a second position arcuately spaced from said first position, when said releasably connecting means are inoperable, wherein said vertically extending shaft is located remote from and laterally of said discharge opening of said feed conveyor to permit free access to said feed conveyor via said discharge opening and wherein said friction disc and friction wheel no longer are in driving operative connection with one another.
 2. The vehicular trailer arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said pivotal securing means for said support arm is mounted at said undercarriage laterally to one side of said discharge opening of said feed conveyor and said releasably connecting means for the free end of said support arm is located at said undercarriage at the opposite side of said discharge opening of said feed conveyor remote from said pivotal securing means for said support arm, to permit said support arm to swing through said substantially horizontally disposed arcuate path in a direction away from said undercarriage, said vertically extending shaft piercingly extending to both sides of said support arm, said slinger plate and said friction disc mounted at respective end regions of said vertically extending shaft straddling said support arm to each side thereof, said vertically extending shaft being disposed in a plane which is spaced from and forwardly of a plane containing said discharge opening of said feed conveyor. 